Love & Marriage
by PrettyLittleHuman
Summary: Who knew that the infamous ladies man, Damon Salvatore, had settled down at one point? Elena and Stefan are about to meet his distant wife, Mrs. Gertrude Salvatore. Or more precisely, Gertie. And she's not what they were expecting.
1. The Reveal

**The Reveal**

The doorbell rang at the Salvatore Boarding House. Stefan had been in the living room writing in his diary and scrunched his face with curiosity. He hadn't been expecting anyone. Leaping up from his comfortable position on the sofa, he opened the door to reveal a beaming Elena.

With a smile he greeted, "Hey there, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Stefan wrapped his arms around her with a quick kiss.

"Well, _it is_ the weekend, and since _you_ hadn't asked me if I wanted to do anything…" Elena responded teasingly.

"I see." Stefan smiled, "So what are we-"

Their moment of bliss was interrupted by an extremely aggravated-looking Damon walking very quickly towards them. The smiles on the couples' faces each wiped clean off to be replaced with annoyance. Damon rolled his eyes at them.

"No, continue. I have better things to do today than ruin your lovey-dovey, vomit-inducing smooches."

"Bitter." Elena commented, more to herself than to him.

"Yeah, what's igniting your anger today, Damon? Weight of the world on your shoulders? Guilty conscience? Or just evil and self-serving as always?"

Damon stopped, turning around to smirk and quip back, "Uh, D. All of the above? You know me Stefan, I'm a man of many moods. Whereas you have just sitting around, brooding about your feelings brooding and brooding about Elena brooding."

Stefan sighed; his brother continued, "Oh, I'm sorry Elena did I ruin the mystery? Anyway, I'd love to chit-chat, but I have a meeting with a lovely lady to attend."

Elena rolled her eyes, "Oh sure, another one of your hook-ups. Or is this one special?" She said that last part with a patronizingly sweet tone.

Damon shrugged his shoulders, "I should hope so, she's my wife. Wish me luck! Bye!" And with that, he was off to his car and, soon enough, driving out to the Mystic Grill.

The entire time, they had been standing in the open doorway of the Boarding House, which was surrounded by a forest. Therefore, the crickets, which started chirping during that long silence between Stefan and Elena, were literal.


	2. Stalking Mrs Salvatore

**Stalking Mrs. Salvatore**

Well, after a revelation such as that, you'd best believe Stefan and Elena had followed Damon to the Mystic Grill. Not that Damon hadn't noticed them, he just ignored them as always. They sat in a booth on the opposite side of the Grill, with a full view of Damon waiting patiently with a bourbon by the bar.

"I just can't wrap my mind around it." Elena said, still processing the shock, "Damon is _married_. Did you know about this?"

"If I did, Elena, I wouldn't be sitting here with you right now." Stefan pointed out.

"What do you think she's like? Is she a vampire he met? Would he even marry a human?" Elena queried, the fingers on the hand where she rested her head tapping rhythmically on her temple, "For that matter, what's she like? As a person? I thought his heart was set on Katherine, so what kind of person could she be to convince Damon Salvatore of all people to get married?"

"I doubt he takes it seriously." Stefan said, "Otherwise, we would have known her before now."

"Do you think she's like Damon? Personality-wise, I mean." Elena asked, even though she was still more inside her own head trying to envision this woman. So far, she was imagining a tall, slender vampire woman dressed in red and black with one of those corset tops and a leather jacket to match Damon's. The perfect partners in crime. Like Bonnie and Clyde.

Stefan seemed to sense her thoughts, "God, I hope not."

Elena paused, giving a heavy sigh as she tried to shake off the image of the dominatrix-esque Mrs. Salvatore in her head. "All that said, it would be unfair to judge her before meeting her. She may very well be a very nice person, vampire or otherwise."

"I don't know, I imagine marriage to Damon does things to you." Stefan joked.

Elena laughed, reaching out to hold Stefan's hands with a grin. "Well, I hope she's not the only woman to bear the title of Mrs. Salvatore."

Stefan leaned in closer to her across the table, "Is that a proposal?"

Their lips were almost touching, "Maybe." A mere hair's width away from a kiss, Elena noticed Damon standing up from his bar stool as if to greet someone.

"Wait, I think she's here." Elena said, pulling away. Stefan's eyes were now trained on the door looking for any possibilities, while Elena's eyes focused on the unmistakable happiness that lingered in Damon's eyes as he stood waiting for the person to approach him.

But the woman who walked right up to Damon Salvatore, her hands outstretched to embrace him, and were kissed like a debutante at a ball when the hug was over, was nothing like they were expecting.

For, as it happened, Mrs. Salvatore was an 89-year-old human woman.

She was small, like a lot of elderly women her age. She was almost half the size of Damon. Short, curly white hair that surrounded a tanned but wrinkled face. With glasses that made this sweetly smiling old lady look slightly bug-eyed. Mrs. Salvatore was also quite a snazzy dresser. She had a dark blue dress, which didn't have any designs, but the color popped against her gold jewelry. She even had some classy, close-toed heels to match. Mrs. Salvatore also had a glasses chain with plastic pink flowers and multicolor beads in no particular order, clearly made by a grandchild.

Although only Stefan and Elena knew from context that this woman was his wife, the rest of the establishment did look around at the odd couple with similar expressions to theirs. But after a minute, they decided this must be some older relative or family friend who'd dropped by to visit and moved on from the momentary distraction.

Stefan, after a few moments of utter shock, managed to get out, "I, uh, was not anticipating that."

Elena just couldn't take her eyes off the scene.


	3. Gertie

**Gertie**

"Hello, ma'am, what can I get you?" The bartender asked politely.

"A gin and tonic, please dear."

"Oh, spicy getting' started early, huh?" She joked, writing down the old woman's order, "Will that be all Misses…?"

"Salvatore." She smiled, "Gertrude Salvatore."

" _Mrs_. Gertrude Salvatore." Damon clarified with a smirk.

"Oh! It's so nice to meet you, Mrs. Salvatore! Your son comes here all the time, he's a wonderful member of the community." The bartender gushed, winking a little at Damon.

"I doubt that, my son has lived in Florida for the last five years. My sweet Damon is not my son."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I just assumed. You are lookin' great for a woman with a-"

"Husband?" Damon offered, stopping the bartender in her tracks, "The word your looking for is "husband". Gertie here is my wife."

The bartender looked between Gertie and Damon for a moment with a well-humored smile still on her face and a few laughs escaping her mouth to see if they would prompt them to drop the joke. They didn't. After that, the bartender's smile turned into a flushed expression of confusion and panic at not knowing how to operate under these circumstances.

Gertie was still grinning though, "I know what you're thinking. How the heck did a mess like _this_ wind up with a catch like me?"

The bartender's eyes were on Gertie but flickered briefly to see Damon's amused expression.

"The answer is simple: blackmail." Gertie said, lowering her voice a bit as if telling a secret, "Never take pictures of yourself doing bad things, unless you're willing to tell a story to whoever finds them. And for that matter, said "bad things" are very hard to do whilst trying to aim a polaroid at yourself-the back pain is just not worth it."

The bartender's eyes and mouth only widened since Gertie had started giving her explanation. But the recently discovered Mrs. Salvatore only found one problem with this conversation,

"Could I have my gin and tonic now, dear?"

The bartender blinked herself out of her daze and nodded, "Of course. Right away. Mrs. Salvatore." And promptly started and finished the drink right in front of them before heading off to pretend to check the register. With a smile of triumph, Gertie and Damon clinked their glasses together in a toast to being reunited.

"God, I missed doing that to people." Gertie said, making Damon's smirk transform into a more genuinely amused smile.

"I think you're losing your touch, darling." Damon teased.

"Oh? Was the polaroid bit too dated?"

"I would've said gramophone."

"My dear husband, then they wouldn't have the disturbed imagery of what could possibly be immortalized in those photos. Even if I did use a gramophone, it would just be pillow talk. It wouldn't be my best work. You know I believe actions speak louder than words."


	4. Meeting The Family

**Meeting the Family**

"Should we just go up and introduce ourselves?" Elena asked.

"I suppose so." Stefan agreed reluctantly, "It's better than sitting here staring at them like a pair of stalkers."

Despite the point made, Elena was still hesitant and almost considered backing out entirely. That is until she noticed Mrs. Salvatore's arm waving in the air as high as she could, her eyes locked on the pair with a grin as she gleefully held her drink in her other hand.

There was no point in leaving it be now.

Like children caught out of bed after hours, Elena walked up to the happy-looking couple with Stefan following closely behind her. Now up close to the old woman, Elena noticed how sweet and pretty Mrs. Salvatore was. Though she couldn't quite put her finger on what made her so lovely in appearance and not just in cheerful disposition.

She smiled politely, "Hello, Mrs. Salvatore it's nice to meet you."

"Oh please, Elena, call me Gertie all my friends do!" She said, taking Elena by surprise with a warm hug, "How are you, dear?"

Elena's brows raised slightly, "Fine. How did you know my name?"

Gertie threw her hands up in the air, as if the entire situation as ridiculous, "Well, I may not be sleeping with him anymore, but Damon does keep in contact with me. He's usually complaining about you." She pointed to Stefan who was half surprised and half not. It was a feeling that was just as contradictory as it sounded.

"You must be my brother-in-law Stefan." Gertie smiled.

"I suppose I am, pleasure to meet you Gertie." He said with a tilt of his head.

"Bah," She put her drink down, "Enough with the formalities. If you're gonna use my name, you're gonna give me a hug when you see me."

True to her word, and with an awkward laugh escaping everyone's mouths, Gertie gave Stefan a big hug.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Oh enough with the chick-flick moments, Gertie, you're killing me!"

Gertie gave him a playful smirk, "So I can live to eighty-nine having survived pneumonia, a stroke, and two major surgeries on my leg." She paused to let all that information absorb before officially making her point, "And yet, I'll outlive my immortal husband because he can't witness affection."

Elena laughed in agreement with Gertie, who put her arm through the younger girls with a cheerful grin on her face that lit up her eyes through her glasses. Gertie feigned a whisper to her, "Remember, it's not because of biology that women outlive men. Sometimes it's absurdity."

After the cheap banter had died down, they all sat at the table Elena and Stefan had formerly occupied.

They learned that Gertie was originally from and met Damon in Wyoming of 1945.

"We had a bit of an on again off again relationship." Gertie explained, "I had my boyfriends, he had his girlfriends. Of course, I didn't know that he was a vampire at the time, but neither of us wanted to make a big deal out of the relationship."

"Lord knows, the neighbors did."

Gertie nodded, her expression looking half-exhausted just from the memory of the nosy neighbors who gave her judging looks every time she went outside. "I hadn't lived with my parents since the war ended. I'd established myself as a secretary at law firm that got business working for veterans, and at that time I was able to live on my own with the wages I earned."

Damon smirked, his eyes proudly raking over Gertie, "I always stopped in to kill a lawyer every now and then, making sure to bring a cup of coffee and a sandwich for the curly-haired girl who basically ran the office."

"No, no, you didn't start with bringing me lunch, dear. As I recall you took your time with it."

"I had to. I asked you out for coffee and you always had to cancel on me because you were too busy."

"Then you just came in without any business to attend to, with two cups of coffee and sat down at my desk during my break." She smiled.

Damon's eyes were entirely focused on Gertie. They were nostalgic as he could practically smell the fresh coffee and see the dark-haired girl taking a sip from all those years ago. One thing that hadn't changed one bit, he'd noticed, was the little smile that seemed permanently etched into her features, only to be amplified when Gertie really started to grin.

Which she did now as she recalled those days, "After a while you stopped bringing coffee for yourself and just started bringing in some for me, along with those sandwiches."

"Well, they were gonna kill you with all those hours, a 20-minute lunch break, and a deli double that time in walking distance." Damon sneered, though picked his "devil-may-care" attitude right back up, "I couldn't let that happen till I had my way with you at least once."

Elena nearly spit out her drink, and suddenly the couple remembered that the other two were there. Upon this realization, Gertie laughed, and Damon just winked and stared suggestively at Elena.

Stefan, meanwhile, wanted more than anything to change gears. "So, when did you two officially get together?"

"After I was pregnant." Gertie said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Elena looked from the awkward-looking Stefan, whose dreams of ignoring talk of his brother's sex life were (more or less) dashed, back to the happy couple. "I thought…" She paused, trying to form her thoughts into words properly, "I thought vampires couldn't reproduce?"

"We can't." Damon said, and Elena noted a hint of bitterness as he looked down at his drink sardonically. Meanwhile, Gertie happily clarified the situation which brought them together.

"Well, remember when I said I also had my share of boyfriends? I wasn't kidding." She winked, "The problem at that time was that, despite my own beliefs on the matter, people wouldn't be accepting of a woman with a child out of wedlock. Especially since I had no firm idea who the father was."

Elena couldn't help but be a little mystified by Gertie. Most women her age, if they had a sense of humor remotely close to Gertie's now, usually were very strict about how much they "did it right" when they were Elena's age. If there were times that they strayed from what was deemed acceptable in their time, Elena didn't know about it. Taboo subjects like illegitimate children and sex before marriage were either hidden in sock proverbial sock drawers or used as sermons to blatantly tell anyone listening not to do them.

But Gertie? She hadn't changed from her optimistic and playful attitude since she walked through the door. She treated these subjects as casually as Aunt Jenna did. They had serious undertones, but still not the worst in the world. _I wonder if she was always like this? Could that be part of what attracted Damon to her?_ Elena wondered.

Gertie hugged Damon's arm, who looked at her with one of the most affectionate smiles Elena had ever seen on his face. "I never did thank you for coming down to the doctor with me, did I?"

"You asked. I came." He smirked, "I was one of your candidates."

"But you knew. You sly devil." Gertie teased, "You knew and you still came anyway for my sake. Well, I'll say it now, since I forgot to at the time. Thank you."

"There are other ways you can thank me." Damon said, "You know that."

Elena expected there to be more playful banter at the suggestive comment. Instead, not only was the tone of the statement more innocent than one might think, it was actually very emotionally-charged. The context dripped into the words and his expression. Yet Elena couldn't begin to imagine what that context was. It was so powerful, it made Gertie's big and toothy grin relax into only a small and pitiful smile.

"That's not why I'm here Damon." She said sadly to her husband.

 _I feel like every minute I look at them, there are a million more questions I want to ask. But where to start?_ Elena debated with herself. _This is a whole new side of Damon. I'd never thought for the life of me that he could have such a connection with another person. For that matter, I never thought he'd allow me or Stefan to witness it even if he did! Damon is being so much more open and emotional. There's clearly so much history between them. I can't quite wrap my mind around what they could possibly have experienced together. And honestly, Gertie is pretty old. She's probably at the end of her lifespan. So far, I feel like I have no information to give me even an idea. If only I knew why Damon introduced us to Gertie now, after all this time of knowing her._

The man in question was taking a long sip of his bourbon. But as he did so, Damon's eyes flickered up and stopped dead in their tracks on someone coming in.

Gertie seemed to notice the person too, although she was smiling and waving a hand over to them. Curious, Elena turned around to see who it was. A man. Just about in his twenties. Extremely attractive; blonde hair, blue eyes, muscled, and a friendly smile. His eyes were solely on Gertie though, a very soft twinkle whilst he looked at her.

Damon's glaring daggers into the guy's soul didn't stop him from going right up to Gertie, already up from the table, and giving her a very passionate yet gentle kiss.

She didn't mean to be, but the image of a young guy kissing a woman in her 90's kind of weirded Elena out. Especially when that same old woman's husband was right in front of them! Stefan was probably as confused as she was, but his attention was on his brother. Both their bodies were rigid, as if prepping for a fight to break out.

"Hi, Pretty G." The man greeted her, arm around her shoulder.

"Hello babe." She said, looking up at him like they were sixteen-year-olds in love. Then back at the table with a look of pride, "Everybody, this is Steven Rogers, my fiancé."

 _Fiancé?_ Elena thought, wanting to ask out loud but deciding it would be redundant. Though her mouth was hanging open in Gertie's direction. Suddenly, Elena was feeling suddenly betrayed by the woman on Damon's behalf. She initially thought her so sweet and fun to be around. What kind of person announces this, in front of people she'd just met, and her own husband who is rightfully unhappy with this situation!

It was such a weirdly callous behavior from a woman who had, otherwise, been nothing but a big sweetheart. True to Elena's analysis, every moment just added more questions that needed answering.

Damon stood up to face off against Steven, who was trying to smile politely but clearly felt the tension in the room. Even Gertie stopped smiling. Strangely, Damon didn't look shocked by the revelation at all. He looked angry, yes, but it was almost like he expected this.

"So, you're the reason we're all here?" Damon stated, his eyes looking more murderous by the second. Steven could only nod to confirm.

It finally clicked in Elena's head. Why Gertie had suddenly shown up. Why Damon looked so angry when he was first leaving the house. Why he was being so much more attentive and emotional in front of them.

Gertie was leaving him.


	5. Rivals

**Rivals**

Although, conversationally, the lunch continued much in the same vein as before when Steven sat down the formerly dissipating tension had returned tenfold.

Elena gleaned that Gertie had met Steven almost five years ago, meeting and forming a romance that had recently spawned to a pending engagement. She couldn't, for the life of her, pick up the details because seeing Gertie fawn over this man while Damon sat quietly was downright excruciating to watch. It crossed her mind briefly that she, Elena, didn't have the closet relationship with Damon and had only just met Gertie so her sudden investment in their relationship baffled her.

 _It's that look in his eye_ , Elena thought. Due to his uncharacteristic silence, she'd taken to examining Damon more closely. His eyes almost never left his wife and her fiancé, except to sneak a look at Elena who met him with a sympathetic smile. _Damon acts out because of his issues with those he loves. He's been such a nightmare for me and Stefan because of the problems they had with Katherine. But Gertie has known him so much longer than I have-se married him! How could she do this to him when he so clearly cares about her? Especially when he rarely allows himself to care at all._

"So, when's the happy day?" Damon said, his abrupt and emotionless response snapping everyone into their tense reality. "When do you plan on officially robbing this cradle?"

Gertie appeared at least to be unperturbed, though her arm holding Steven's tightened slightly. Her head held proud and firm, "We'll marry as soon as our divorce is finalized."

Damon shrugged sarcastically, his signature smirk starting to appear on his face, "Well, you know lawyers. No way of knowing when that could happy. Explaining the situation alone that we were married before the microwave became a regular household appliance is likely gonna take some time."

"Divorce only takes a while if you've shared property or money for long periods of time." Steven interjected, "With all due respect, Gertie informed me you haven't shared anything in almost forty years."

Damon's eyes narrowed as he took a swig from his bourbon, "Yeah kid, haven't shared anything of substance. Unless you count a bed." He smirked, clearly trying to rile the man up.

"Don't call me that." Steven started to seethe.

"That was back in the 70's Damon, Steven and I weren't even acquainted." Gertie said, her voice struggling to remain calm.

"Whereas you and I have a _long_ history of escapades painting that boring little Wyoming town red. And I didn't even have to kill anyone to get a little excitement." Damon leaned forward, looking Steven in the eye.

"Damon. Stop." Elena begged, knowing the telltale signs of Damon doing something reckless and stupid out of anger. It seemed whenever something bothered him, his go-to reaction to make something sexual. Just like he had right before coming to the Mystic Grill with her and Stefan.

"Did she tell you everything, _kid_?" Damon asked, keeping his face close to his rivals so that no other bar patrons could see his darkening eyes or slightly protruding fangs. "Did the beauty tell you about the beast she'd married? That every weekend with her I'd suck the life out of something not one mile away from her house?"

"Damon that's enough!" Stefan whispered to his brother, only pause in shock when he saw Steven's face which also sported fangs and red eyes. Elena's own eyes widened as she watched the two vampires stare each other down. _Would this day never cease to shock her?_

Two distinct slaps rang throughout the table. In the heat of the event, no one noticed Gertie had gotten up to cover the undead stare off from onlookers and slapped both her men into a ceasefire. Her sweet demeanor was gone and replaced by a calm and collected "no-nonsense" look. Complete with hands on her hips and everything.

"Steven, I'll handle this." She said, turning her body towards Damon. "I came here as a courtesy Damon. Even though we've been apart a long time you're still my husband. I wanted to treat you with the respect you deserve. But if you can't act civilly towards the man I love, we both know I don't need you to marry him. I could just as easily forge a certificate of your death and be done. Now are you going to stop acting like a schmuck or am I taking my fiancé to the local courthouse?"

No words were exchanged between them. There was only a long silence as they stared into each other's eyes. Damon's glaring anger still plain on his face while Gertie stood firm and waited for a response. She got one. No one besides Elena noticed the flash of defeat that passed through his eyes before he hid it away by draining his tumbler of whiskey. Everyone else just saw him shrug with annoyance, which Steven and Stefan took to mean that he was just waiting to verbally antagonize them some more.

Elena couldn't take it anymore, however, and stood up to go outside in silence. She couldn't watch this.


	6. My Husband

**My Husband**

 _Gertie  
29 Years Old_

I sat on the side of my bed, wringing my hands. My head hung, partly out of shame and partly because I wanted my long hair to cover my face. My husband was standing in front of me, and I had just told him I was pregnant again.

"So, how far along are you?"

"Three months." I paused, my voice threatening to crack. "I'm sorry, Damon."

I didn't want to be an unfaithful wife, I didn't mean to cheat. But right now, that's what it felt like I did. No matter how many times I questioned this marriage, or how Damon outwardly told me how many women he had while he lived part from me, I felt guilty for inviting another man into my bed.

 _It wasn't a_ real _marriage_. We'd agreed on that when we did the ceremony. Damon was just helping me save face.

But we did have a happy life together, sometimes. The first year of marriage was wonderful, it _felt_ like a real marriage. Every Sunday breakfast together, every night by the fire after a hard day of work, and every kick from the baby in my belly that he smiled at made me feel like the happiest wife on earth. I still remember Damon holding Susan in the hospital, as proud as if she were his blood. Susan Lillian Salvatore.

Then we brought the baby home, and something wasn't quite right. Damon was attentive and helpful, but after a while he grew silent. I thought he was just tired from the screaming newborn, Lord bless me, I certainly was.

Damon started going out of the house for his nightcaps. I never minded him drinking, only when he insisted on leaving the house to get them. It felt like he was distancing himself from me. He'd been so good to me though, and I was ever so emotional after giving birth the first time.

I smiled and said, "Yes Dear. Go right ahead. I don't mind."

That phrase felt bitter and unnatural on my tongue. Especially since I never felt the need to be any less assertive with Damon than I was before. Something changed in the atmosphere of our house, and I along with it.

That change in my attitude, and leaving the office, made me more attractive to a former boss of mine. We still ran into each other in town. James often complimented how good I looked for a new mother, how I still glowed, and that Damon was a lucky man to have me for his wife. Too tired to quip but too starved for a compliment, I only nodded and said a small thanks to James for his kindness. I remember him remarking, "That shyness is very becoming too. I wouldn't be the reason for it, would I?"

If I were being myself, I probably would've flirted back just for the fun of it. But I was married now. Even if I had barely seen my husband for more than a month, he was still my husband and the father of my daughter. I wasn't used to marriage, and Damon's sudden absence wasn't helping.

One night, when Damon hadn't bothered to come home for a few days, I decided to go to him. I found a young girl to babysit Susan, dolled myself up like I was still young and single and went out to surprise my husband.

 _That was all we needed,_ I remember telling myself, _A spark. A reminder of how much fun we used to have._

I found the bar I knew he liked best. I couldn't stop smiling as I walked in, the anticipation making me look like I'd stuck a hanger in my mouth while getting dressed.

Then, just a few paces into the bar, I saw him. Handsome and rugged as ever, with two girls draping themselves over him. As usual, he didn't mind one bit.

I remember swallowing hard, unsure whether it would be worse to walk up to him or leave. I opted slink myself quietly to a barstool, unable to hold myself up any longer. I don't know how long I sat there before he found me, but he was still drunk and smirking when he did.

He words were all a blur, not even because he was intoxicated-it had more to do with what I was going through than any other supporting factor. "My wife." I remember suddenly not liking that title. "You look gorgeous! Tryin' bait in some more guys for yourself, doll? Well, good luck, I have a few of my own to take care of. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you. I'll see you in the morning."

Even though he did come back home in the morning, I did feel forgotten.

"Are you angry at me Gertie?" He asked over coffee.

"No."

"Then why do you look so down in the dumps?"

"I'm tired. I still have the baby, you know."

Damon sighed, "We agreed this wasn't real remember?"

"Yes, Dear."

"So we can both do whatever we want." He clarified.

"Go right ahead."

A pause. His eyes focused on his finger tapping his coffee mug before he looked back at me. "I compel them afterwards. And I would never bring them here. This is _your_ house, and I won't do that to you."

I answered robotically, "I don't mind."

We never talked about it again. In fact, Damon officially went back to travelling within the week. He said I had a handle on things with Susan. And if I missed him, he'd send me postcards to look at.

I held out for nearly two years that he would come back. He did send postcards, sometimes with a number attached for me to call him. They made me smile, and I felt a little less forgotten. But I didn't feel loved. Not like I thought I had been when we married, not like a wife ought to be.

After all that time, I did intentionally flirt back with James. No one looked at me anymore, except him. My body wasn't the same, and both the baby and my wedding ring sent a clear message. Sometimes, I hate to admit, I took off the ring just to see what would happen. Nothing ever did. It was as if they sensed it.

I just wanted to feel beautiful again.

Was it too much to ask that I wanted a husband who loved me and whom I could have the chance to love in return?

 _You knew who he was when you married him._ The voice in my head would say. _You brought this on yourself._

 _But he did love me, didn't he? He could've left me to bare Susan without a cover story. Damon loves Susan! He was never so happy as when I was pregnant with her._

 _Was he? It didn't take long for him to stray. And he said it himself, "It's not real". He wouldn't even care if you had an affair yourself. He was practically encouraging it when you found him. Does that sound like a person who loves you even a little?_

…

…

…

So I let James fill that void. I let him tell me how pretty I was. I let him kiss my hand and stop over for drinks by the fire. Then, as my needs progressed and the hole in my heart festered, I let him do other things.

That's how I wound up pregnant with my second child and my first son.

That's what I was explaining to my husband in 1950, after spending a month tracking him down and begging him to come back. I sat on that bed when he arrived, feeling guilty for my own weakness.

He only responded with a clap of his hands. "Well, I guess we're going on vacation then!"

My confusion pulled me briefly out of my guilt. I looked up at Damon with a curious expression, "What?"

"Vacation. Albeit, a longer one than normal, but we can easily avoid suspicion." Realizing that he was mostly thinking out loud, he clarified, "We pack up ourselves and Susan, high-tail it to the tropical island of your choice, and you give birth the best luxury suit they have. By the time we get back, we'll be all "Oh yes, it was a second honeymoon with Susan! Only meant to be for two months, but we couldn't risk traveling with a new baby arriving!" By the time we get back in a good year or two, no one will notice."

I must have looked so forlorn, because when his eyes met mine he stopped joking and smiling. I let my head fall into my hands to cry.

The truth was, I wanted him to be angry or upset. It would've been some kind of proof that he cared, at least in my young mind. All this seemed to prove was that everything we were was all because he wanted to be nice, and everything we could have been was dashed to pieces.

Damon knelt in front of me, wiping my tears away to see my eyes better. "Hey, hey, look at me. Gertie?"

I couldn't talk, I was so busy trying to calm my outrageous hormones that I could only sniffle at him.

"Come on, lie back. Take a nap. We don't have to start packing until you want to."

We lay on the bed for a little while, my back to him and his arms wrapped around me. I felt his breath in my ear, and it both frightened and soothed me. I kept sitting there thinking about how pitiful it all was. We were both trapped in a loveless, careless marriage all built on a lie to suit the public image. It just didn't seem worth it.

Damon's breath suddenly grew heavier. I heard him start to pant and felt his arms tighten around me, then I felt nothing-he was no longer holding me.

Getting up from the bed, I saw Damon hastily fleeing towards the door. I had only managed to catch him by the arm in time to see his face transforming back to normal from his red-eyed, vein-ridden, fanged features.

"You're hungry." I stated, rather stupidly.

"Yes. I need to go, but I'll be back in an hour. I promise."

I almost nodded and said, _Yes Dear. Go right ahead. I don't mind._ But somewhere, down in my soul, my old self rose up to ask a question that had been burning in my mind for the last five years.

"Have you ever fed on me?"

That made Damon pause in the doorway. He turned back to me, looking as though I said something completely absurd like "Don't you know the sky is made of porcupines?" He replied, "No. Where would you even get that idea?"

"You've always told me about how you feed. How compulsion works." I felt my old frankness slowly building up, "Have you ever compelled me to let you feed? Or made me forget?"

"No." He said with absolute certainty, "What, do you not believe me?"

"Well, if you haven't then why?"

"I don't feed on you." Damon tried to leave on that but I held him back.

"That's obvious, but it doesn't answer my question: Why not?"

He was starting to get annoyed, "Do you want me to feed on you? Is that it?"

"I'm just. _Curious_." I paused, "Is it because I'm your wife?"

Damon rolled his eyes, and he said in the most matter-of-fact tone, "It's because you're Gertie, alright? You're my Gertie and I don't feed on you. Honestly, you should be grateful I'm not feeding on you, especially when you're keeping me from doing just that when I need to."

He left me on the bed, a dumb smile spreading across my face.

It's hard to know exactly how I knew this or why it made me feel better, but the revelation was clear as day to me: My husband did love me. Maybe not as a wife, though better than just a good friend. He loved me as his Gertie. Damon wasn't helping me because he felt bad or responsible. There was something about me that he liked, the same something I liked about him.

My husband cared about me. Even if it wasn't completely in the way that I'd originally wanted.


	7. You Can't Have One

**You Can't Have One**

 _Present Day_

Elena paced outside for a while with her arms crossed. She wasn't out there long, but just enough for Gertie to slowly hobble outside to find her. She still greeted Elena with a friendly smile, but the young girl only managed a tight-lipped half one.

She didn't seem phased, only knowing. "You're angry at me, aren't you?"

"What?" Elena shifted awkwardly, "No. I'm not… _Angry_."

Gertie found a bench to sit on while Elena stood beside her. "Fair enough, _angry_ is not the right word. You don't know me well enough to get truly at me. You _do_ judge me though, I'm right aren't I?"

Elena didn't answer.

Gertie snapped her fingers happily, "I am right! Well, unfortunately dear you don't know me or the situation well enough to do that either."

The young girl gave the old woman a flabbergasted expression. Her voice completely indignant, "I know that you're married."

"I know that too. The wedding ring and five children are excellent reminders."

"I also know you brought your boyfriend to look your husband in the face while you declared you were leaving him!" Elena pointed out.

"It's a little hard to leave someone when you haven't seen them in decades. I still talk to him, of course, but I also still live in that house we bought together for our first baby." Gertie said. "I don't know if you've noticed Elena, but it's a rather complicated situation."

Elena ran her hands through her hair, pacing faster and faster until she finally came to a halt. "Look, I don't know what deal you guys had originally, but what you're doing to Damon is cruel."

"How?" The question was made in confusion, rather it was to make Elena clarify her own thoughts.

"Well, you're basically cheating on him!" Elena pointed out, "You've had five children with someone other than him, not to mention Steven."

"And how many women have you seen him with before you knew I existed?"

Elena paused, having to backtrack on her own argument but not willing to give up her convictions. "Like I said, I don't know how you two managed this before. But why do you have to leave him if you're both perfectly fine with having… _Whatever_ kind of arrangement you have with him? It doesn't matter."

" _It does matter_ , Elena." Gertie told her. "As we both agree, it's complicated. Things usually are with Damon."

"That's exactly my point. He cares about you!" Elena said, "Damon doesn't care about anything, he doesn't let himself. Not since-"

"Katherine." Gertie said. Elena looked taken aback, the old lady shrugged. "He told me about her too. Though, I'm told you had a much harder time with it, for obvious reasons."

"Right." Elena paused. In her mind she thought about how Stefan, who was in love with her, didn't even tell her about the woman she looked like. Elena _found_ that picture. She sat down beside Mrs. Salvatore.

"But he does care about you, Gertie. I can see that whenever he looks at you. And he really needs someone to care for, someone who brings out the good in him. I just don't know why you can't see that."

Gertie smiled, "How old are you, Elena?"

"Seventeen."

She nodded in approval, "Well, you're much further along in understand Damon than I was at twenty-four. Anyway, I never said I don't see how he cares or that I don't feel the same way. But I don't have to have a ring on my finger just because I care about someone. Elena, my husband doesn't love me."

Elena almost interrupted before Gertie cut her off, "No, I'm not saying he doesn't love me _at all_ , I'm saying he doesn't love me the way you should love a spouse. There is a big difference between the love you have for someone you care about deeply and someone you should and would marry. Have you had many boyfriends, or is Stefan your first?"

"I-I had this one guy, Matt, last year. We were together practically since we were kids…"

"But why didn't it work out?"

"We- _I_ just…" Elena couldn't put it into words, "He wanted things that I didn't, that I wasn't ready for. With Stefan, I feel alive again after my parents died."

Gertie put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "But you don't hate him. I doubt you even dislike him. In fact, I'd bet that you feel for him in a way that's not quite love and yet it still falls under that category. I'll even venture a guess that you'd describe it as: complicated."

Looking at Gertie, it felt like looking at that picture of Katherine all over again. There was something familiar, identical about what they were talking about.

"You're going to have a lot of those relationships as time goes on. When you get to be my age, hell, when you get to be _thirty_ you'll realize that not every relationship falls perfectly in love, hate, friendship, or even just complicated. You'll realize that some of those "complicated" relationships are a lot simpler than you think they are."

A nod from Elena. Then Gertie continued,

"You'll also realize, like I did, that a romantic relationship-especially a marriage-shouldn't be based on a one-sided need for stability. Damon needs me, yes, to care about him and be there for him like I always have. But I don't need to be his wife to do that."

Steven does need me to be his wife. Because I need him to be my husband. We need each other because we can't imagine not being married. We already _feel_ married, and we act like it. Sometimes, we introduce ourselves as husband and wife, and it doesn't feel like a lie."

"Then why do you have to divorce, Damon?" Elena asked.

"Because it's better for everyone involved." Gertie explained, "With Steven, I have the kind of love I wanted to have with Damon, who I'm married to. It's been a _good_ marriage, no doubt. We've made it work. But Elena, I can't give my heart to one man and my hand to the other, just because it's convenient to do so. If I loved either of these men _half as much_ as I claim I do, even in their own ways, I could _never_ do that to them. Then, I would really be like Katherine."

Elena's olive complexion turned flushed, listening to this woman's words. That last sentence feeling like a stab to the chest. She nearly wanted to cry. But Gertie's warm smile cheered her up.

Gripping the young girl's hand in a friendly manner, Gertie asked rhetorically, "I've had love with one man and a marriage with the other. But I can't have one without the other. Don't I deserve, like everyone else, to try for both in one relationship?"

Elena took a moment to answer, but ultimately she didn't get the chance to as both women saw Damon waiting farther off from them-just staring.

"Go inside dear. I need to talk to him for a little bit." Gertie said.

The young girl got up from the bench, walking towards the door to the restaurant. Elena stopped to share a look with Damon before she went inside, hesitantly.

Then Damon walked over and took her place on the bench next to Gertie.


	8. 75 Years

**75 Years**

"Go inside dear. I need to talk to him for a little bit." Gertie said.

The young girl got up from the bench, walking towards the door to the restaurant. Elena stopped to share a look with Damon before she went inside, hesitantly.

Then Damon walked over and took her place on the bench next to Gertie.

"So you want a chance at love? Follow that star? Dream the impossible dream?" Damon said sardonically, looking off at the bustling streets instead of at the sympathetic gaze his wife was giving him.

"Yes." She stated.

There was more silence.

"You do realize there won't be a long honeymoon, right? He's dead and you, my darling wife, are just getting closer to a more permanent version-"

"After the wedding, Steven is going to turn me."

Damon pursed his lips so tightly his jaw should have cracked from the pressure.

"Really?" He asked, rhetorically and with an over-dramatic surprise that only added to his bitter sarcasm. He didn't wait for her to answer, crossing his arms, "Because I seem to remember making that same offer after baby number three. You told me you were happier as a human."

"Yes Damon, I was happier to grow old and live my remaining days knowing I was your wife, more than I would've been immortal. But now, my breasts may be six inches lower than they were over 70 years ago, but I'll be happy to wear a bra for eternity and be married to Steven." Another pause, then Gertie continued, "Damon, I love him. He's a little young, even at 100 years old but I love him. He's not afraid to be affectionate with me, he loves to dance as much as I do, and he's good to my children. What's more, he loves me back in the same way I love him."

Gertie asked, "Damon, do you love me?"

Damon scoffed, "Are you serious?"

"Do you love me?"

Damon snuck a glance at her, "Seriously, Gertie? Now?"

"Well?"

He looked away again, standing up to place, while Gertie sat firmly and watched him. "You want a love confession? Is that it? You came all this way with a new husband and that damned high and mighty assertion you have, just to make me say it?"

Gertie shook her head, "No, Damon, I'm just asking you a question. Do you love me?"

A humorless laugh left Damon's throat as he looked up at the sky in frustration. "Almost 75 years now. SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS! I came when you called, looked after your children, and sent you Christmas cards and letters-After _75 years_ , why are you worried about this now? When you're cashing out and ending it all? What could it _possibly_ matter?!"

A little tear pooled in the corner of Gertie's eye, the size of it amplified by her thick glasses. "Damon, I never wanted to ask you before. The closet I got was asking why you never fed from me. You told me it was because I was _Your Gertie_. You stayed for our children, and sometimes you came around just for me. Even when I stopped having them, you wanted to see me. It was little moments like that which made me think we'd learn to love each other, the way I always wanted to love and be loved by you. But it's 75 years later, as you said, and it's time for us both to face the question: Do we love each other?"

Damon's eyes were finally focused on her. They were still angry though, making his icy blues look fierce and vicious. They didn't scare Gertie one bit, something Damon knew would happen even while he was trying to intimidate her. The corner of his mouth twitched, uncomfortably, and he hissed out, "I'm your husband, aren't I?!"

Gertie nodded in agreement, "That's true. But do you _love_ me, my husband? Do you love me, the way you love me the way you love Katherine?"

Still with a clenched jaw, Damon's eyes grew less vicious as a sudden pang of remembrance came over him.

"Do you love me like you love that sweet girl inside? The one who knows you so well she came out here to scold me?" Gertie asked, smiling.

There was no jealousy in that smile. It was knowing and patient. It was the kind of smile a friend gives to another in public, when their friend declares they feel "fine" despite the friend knowing their tells for when that is specifically _not_ the case.

His face couldn't help but soften. As usual, Gertie was too close of a companion to take anything he said aloud at face value. She was making him face it. Face her.

"No Gertie, I don't love you like that." Damon admitted, kneeling in front of her, "I thought I could. Every time I came to you, I knew that we had some better moments than I'd had with Katherine. It just didn't feel like enough, and I thought it would be better to be apart half the time. Instead of… Just _sitting_ in that feeling of uncertainty. We were always happy to see each other after a long time, and some distance. But for 75 years, I've enjoyed talking to you. You've been my best friend. I've never wanted to hurt you, that's why I married you! I just wanted to protect you, let you live the way you deserve to live, independent and free." His voice cracked a little before he caught himself, "I know I didn't always appreciate you, and I wasn't the typical husband, but-If that's not love, Gertie, what else could it be?"

He had a little tear that matched her own, but Gertie wiped it away for him. She knew how he felt about tears. She didn't need to see them roll down his cheeks to understand his sincerity.

Gertie pulled him up to sit beside her, wrapping her arms around him. Without hesitation Damon did the same, settling into the natural feeling of the friendly hug.

"It is." She assured, "And I know that I love you too. Just the same and I always will."

Damon held her closer, his heart simultaneously aching and feeling soothed from her words. "It doesn't change a thing does it? You still want to marry him?"

Gertie shook her head, Damon felt the movement in his shoulder. "No. But that's the beauty isn't it? Have we ever had to love each other as husband and wife to be as close as we are? That piece of paper and those rings don't define our relationship. They don't fit. You and I have always been ahead of our time."

Damon smirked a little, "We certainly have."

Gertie pulled away, grabbing one of Damon's hands, "But even so, after 75 years, isn't nice to finally say it to each other?"

Not a smirk this time from Damon, only a friendly squeeze of her hand back and a genuine smile, "I suppose it is. After 75 years."

* * *

 **A/N: Don't go away yet! Gertie and Damon have just 1 more chapter before this story is complete. Stay tuned for when I'm finally able to finish and release it.**

 **In the meantime, I'm picking up two different stories I've been working on for a while.**

 **One is a reboot of a TVD story involving Damon as a caretaker for a spunky little girl whose parents were murdered by vampires.**

 **It's called** _ **The Bloody Beginnings of Katy Weston**_ **. Check it out and leave a review, they help keep the creative juices flowing.**

s/13044997/1/The-Bloody-Beginnings-of-Katy-Weston

 **For my fellow Once Upon A Time fans out there who also like Peter Pan (the original and the TV show versions of the character), I've also got one about a girl named Jane and her dysfunctional family who end up on Neverland together as Pan's new game. It's set a couple years before the show's beginning, so it won't feature Emma or Henry just yet. It's meant to be something of a Neverland spin-off, as that is where 95% of the story will be taking place.**

 **It's called** _ **Trying To Fly**_ **, here's the link and this is one story that I particularly need more reviews for. I'm trying a different format and some subversive characterizations, and I have absolutely NO idea how it's working for readers.**

s/13265210/1/Trying-To-Fly

 **Thank you all and stay tuned for the final chapter and wedding of Gertie Salvatore!**


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